


Warmblood Virus Round 1

by RainbowPixieCat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, Vomit, emeto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 04:23:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9161227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowPixieCat/pseuds/RainbowPixieCat
Summary: Set in an AU where everyone lives in a new world after winning the game. Tavros has come down with a new illness that only affects the warm blooded trolls. But he has a caring older brother to help him make it through. It's a sickfic continuation from 'Chilling at a Friend's House'. Don't like, don't read. Thank you.  (Oh, P.S. there's lots of puking).





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is only my second Homestuck fic so please be gentle. I tried to keep the characters as IC as possible so I'm sorry if they aren't quite. But I tried!

Rufioh pulled into the garage of the hive he shared with Tavros, parking the car and killing the engine, listening to the sound of the automatic garage door rolling down behind him. He took his phone from his jeans pocket and looked at the few text messages displaying, one of which told him what episode they’d been up to when he left. The older Taurus had been at his anime club with some friends from Uni when he’d received a call that his little bro was sick and went to pick him up from Gamzee’s house. It was now around ten thirty pm and he was missing the rest of a kickass anime called Hellsing. But it was for a good reason. Rufioh pocketed his phone again and looked over at the younger troll still slumped in the passenger seat beside him. He was pale and his face was flushed and sweaty but he was sleeping soundly, despite somewhat laboured breathing from his fever. The fact that he was asleep was probably a good thing, since the kid had apparently been puking his guts out before the older troll came round and got him. He’d likely caught the virus that Rufioh had had the week before, something going around affecting all the lowbloods.

Rufioh sighed softly; he didn’t have the heart to wake Tavros when he was this sick. Getting out of the car, he walked around to open the door to the front passenger seat, unclipping the seatbelt and gathering the teen into his arms. Tavros stirred slightly and murmured something unintelligible but otherwise remained asleep. The older troll quietly opened the door that led from the garage into the house and carried him down the hallway to his respite block. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled back the star patterned covers before lowering the feverish boy onto the mattress. He tucked him in loosely, pulling the blankets up to only about waist high. Rufioh propped Tavros up on several pillows, so he wasn’t lying flat on his back. It was something that another might not think to do but Rufioh knew what it was like having those big horns getting in the way all the time. If he left his little bro lying on his back, he could choke if he got sick in his sleep and because of the horns, he couldn’t lay him on his side, so he propped him up at an angle instead.

Rufioh brushed sweaty bangs away from Tavros’ forehead, frowning at the heat he felt radiating off the younger one’s skin. “Hey kid, we have to get you cooled down somehow” he muttered, keeping his voice quiet. 

He gently removed Tavros’ outer jacket, tossing it over the back of the chair that sat in front of his study desk. He then got up and turned on the breeze blender, hoping the air currents would help cool down the sweaty troll. Rufioh left the room and returned shortly after with a cool, damp cloth, placing it on the other troll’s forehead. That was about all he could think to do for the time being. A quick trip back out to the car and he returned the belongings he found at Gamzee’s hive to the younger troll’s respite block. It was just a couple of DVDs, Tavros’ shoes and socks and his phone. He was about to leave the room for the last time when he remembered one more very important thing. “Shoot, almost forgot”. 

A short trip to the ablution block and he was back with an empty dross coffer, which he placed at the side of the bed within easy reach. One thing he recalled about this damn bug is that it made you puke a lot and he didn’t want to take any chances. He patted Tavros’ arm lightly, allowing a faint smile to ghost across his lips. “Kay, looks like we got you all sorted kiddo. I’m going to catch some sleep now but I promise I’ll check on ya in the morning” he whispered. He patted Tavros’ arm one final time before tiptoeing out of the room. He didn’t have much else to do so he figured he may as well go to bed.  
…

He was flying, flying for real. Tavros beat his wings in the air, giddy with joy. He had a magnificent pair of wings, just like Rufioh’s! They were brown and transparent, shimmering in the sunlight. He was back on Alternia soaring and wheeling above his windmill topped hive, with the sea breeze flowing across his face and ruffling his hair. He cruised on the air currents, dived, twirled and did loop the loops. It felt wonderful. Everything was going great until he flew out over the cliffs and tried to fly above the ocean. He heard laughter and looked down. Tavros felt a jolt of dismay when he saw who was standing on the edge of the cliffs below. He would know that laugh anywhere. It was Vriska, shouting words that somehow echoed all around him despite her distance away on the ground. “Fly pupa, flyyyyyyyyyyy!” 

In a breath his wings were gone and he was falling, dropping towards the ocean like a stone. A plummeting feeling swooped into his belly as he tumbled towards the endless expanse. He splashed down with a resounding smack and a spray of saltwater. Tavros kicked and flailed, trying to swim to shore, which he could see from where he was. His legs wouldn’t work for some reason. It was like he couldn’t feel them at all. Fear gripped him and he struggled harder against the waves and current but that only seemed to make him sink faster. Without warning, hands emerged from the waves and grasped him, watery voices speaking to him, beckoning him to come live with them in the deep. “No, I can’t, uh, I wouldn’t be able to breathe!” Tavros protested. But the grabbers weren’t listening. Sea trolls were surrounding him, pulling him under. He tried to hold his breath as he was dragged beneath the waves. One of the blurry figures jabbed his side with a trident and he gave an involuntary gasp and started to gulp down water, feeling it swelling his belly as he swallowed more and more of it…he was drinking the whole ocean. The water level began to drop as it poured into him. 

Tavros started awake with a gasp. He was sweating and shaking, panting heavily from a combination of fear and fever. His heart beat was loud in his ears and he could feel it hammering against his chest. His clothes were damp and sticking to him, especially his back and underarms, and there was some cold damp cloth on his pillow. Tavros pulled the fabric of his black tee away from his skin with a soft noise of discomfort, sitting up. He kicked the sheets and blankets off, finding them much too hot and stifling. The young troll blinked in the darkness. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust but when they did, he could see the room as clearly as day, thanks to his kind having good nocturnal vision. 

There were his DVDs sitting on the desk. There were his shoes and socks on the floor next to it. And there was his phone sitting on the bedside table where he usually liked to leave it. Yet he was confused. Where was he? This didn’t look like the room of his hive on Alternia. He frowned, looking around some more. Why was he in a human cocoon? Where was his recuperacoon and four wheel device? But wait, wasn’t he at Gamzees? This didn’t look like his friend’s hive either. There were too many fantasy posters on the walls and last he checked, Gamzee didn’t have any Fiduspawn cards or Oogonibombs stacked neatly on a bookshelf. The thought of being at Gamzee’s reminded him of something and Tavros cringed as things came flooding back. Oh, right, he’d gotten sick and then Rufioh had come to get him. And now he was at their shared hive on the new planet. 

As his heartbeat began to slow, Tavros released an involuntary groan, one hand going to rub at his stomach. He looked down at his belly, wondering why it felt so weird. It looked heavily bloated and felt achingly full. The contents within sloshed around as he rubbed at the swollen grey skin. How much seawater did I swallow? Tavros wondered in discomfort, still half asleep and befuddled. 

Getting his bearings, the teen looked over at the alarm clock sitting on his bedside table, numbers faintly illuminating the darkness with a neon blue glow. It was four fifteen am. The house was completely quiet and still. Tavros suddenly felt very alone. His stomach churned and bubbled and he started to take shallow, uneven breaths, reeling in a tide of rising nausea that he realised had been there since he awoke and was only getting worse. He was scared now for a different reason, feeling small and overwhelmed, unprepared for whatever was happening to him. His mind was trying to piece together instructions for what to do in this situation but it was hard when his thoughts were flitting around like frightened chirpbeasts. 

“R…Rufioh?” Tavros called out weakly. His voice quavered and seemed to fall flat in the darkness of his respite block. Tavros was almost glad as he quickly changed his mind. No, he probably shouldn’t wake the elder Taurus. He wasn’t a wiggler for crying out loud. Besides, he couldn’t call out any louder. And this was embarrassing enough as it was. He should be able to deal with it on his own without getting others involved.

His stomach cramped and gurgled again and he burped softly. He felt the familiar odd, tingling warmth spread up the back of his neck as heat surged into his face and he broke out into a renewed sweat. 

“Oh no” Tavros moaned, horrified realisation dawning on him. There was a pressure growing in his throat and stomach as bile started to rise. Tavros choked back a small sound that was a combination of half sob, half whine, swallowing hard several times. Vivid memories of what had happened at his friend’s house came rushing back to him and he panicked. He had to get to the load gaper, now! 

Tavros stumbled out of bed and swayed drunkenly to his feet, ignoring a swirl of vertigo from getting up too quickly. He floundered out into the hallway, feeling like he was on the deck of a boat as the world swayed and tipped around him. Hurry, hurry, he had to get there! His steps were hasty, bare feet slapping the cold tiles as he forced himself to move as fast as he could, pushing off the walls for balance. 

He didn’t really know where he was when his head swirled crazily and he found he couldn’t see properly. Tavros gasped as he felt himself start to keel over, one arm flailing out and clawing instinctively at the nearest thing he could reach. To his fright and dismay, the object toppled over on top of him with an ear-splitting crash and a jumble of clangs and smashes. Hard wood knocked into his shin and side. Something heavy banged into his right horn, sending a shock of pain bursting down the length and into his skull, as though someone just jammed a knife into it. Tavros screamed but it quickly became a retch and then a gurgle. He felt his stomach heave as hot, thick liquid came splurging out of his mouth, splattering loudly against the tiles. He heaved again and again, two more gushes of dense, slimy fluid leaving his body. He tried to get up, to push the object off himself and crawl towards the bathroom but his head swirled drunkenly and his arms slipped in the warm slick muck that had spewed out of his body. He lay there helpless, unable to see anymore. His stomach spasmed and he brought up another spattering surge of hot liquid, covering his arms and the floor in front of him. The ooze spread, running underneath him and seeping into his tee. Tavros coughed and gasped, struggling to catch his breath for several seconds and then it was right back to puking, violently and messily, all over the hallway.  
…

“SHIT!” Rufioh was startled out of being sound asleep by a tremendous crash. He bolted upright and looked around wildly. “What the hell was that?” Without thinking, he ran out of his room, towards the source of the noise, stumbling a little due to being half asleep. He heard something splatter noisily onto the tiles. Rufioh flicked on the hallway light and immediately took in the scene of disaster. Shards of what used to be a vase and ornaments littered the floor and there was his little brother, vomiting all over the place while trapped under a table.

“Aw, crap, Tavros!” Rufioh was at his side in an instant. He shoved the table off Tavros and knelt, picking the boy up and holding him up out of his mess and bits of broken glass and ceramics. “It’s okay honey, I got you, I got you. Shhh, shhh, it’s alright” 

Tavros felt warm, strong arms go around him and then heard the voice of his brother. He was being held up out of his mess, for which he was grateful. “R-Rufi-hurrrrrrrgh!” Tavros tried to speak but his body had other ideas, sending a dark brown splatter onto the ground. Tavros coughed and gasped, tears streaming down his face. “I tried to…to get to the…bluuurgh!” 

Rufioh rubbed Tavros’ back, holding him secure as his stomach emptied its contents everywhere. “I know, dahl, I know. It’s okay. Don’t try to talk. Just wait till it’s over” he soothed. Poor little thing. Sure, Rufioh had this bug too, but he didn’t remember it being this bad. His pump biscuit ached in sympathy for the younger troll. “Just get it all out, that’s it. We’re here now so may as well do it here. That’s my boy” 

Tavros heaved a few more times, the amounts getting smaller before it finally tapered off. He stayed hanging limply in Rufioh’s arms, strands of saliva and slimy puke dripping down his chin as he panted tiredly and spat, trying to get the nasty taste out of his mouth. It was quiet for a minute. Tavros shuddered, sweating and shaking. 

Rufioh leaned forward to get a look at Tavros’ face and the mess he had made, trying to judge the situation. “You done?” he asked gently, taking the hem of Tavros’ messy shirt and wiping his face with it.

Tavros started to sob, translucent brown tears streaking down his cheeks, plopping onto his shirt, the floor, and Rufioh’s arm around his chest. “I’m sor-sorry, I’m sorry…I di-didn’t mean to…” he coughed and hiccupped. “I ruined your night and, uhh, made a mess…and…I’m sorry, I’ll cl-clean it up, I swear. Just, in a minute, once I can, uh, st-stand…”

Rufioh pulled Tavros back against him, drawing the crying teen into a hug. He ignored the puke all over him and just held him close, rubbing his back in soothing patterns. “Hey hey, do you think I care about that? Don’t you even worry about that. There is nothing for you to apologise for. You’re real sick and you can’t help it. Just leave all the cleaning and shit to me, okay?” 

Tavros buried his face in Rufioh’s pyjama shirt, making a tired, teary little noise of assent “Mnn”

“Good boy. Now we’re going to get you all cleaned up and then I think it’s best if you go back to bed. Just get some rest yo” Rufioh adjusted his hold on the younger troll and stood, lifting Tavros in his arms. “Come on sweetheart” He stepped towards the bathroom, carefully avoiding the puddle of puke and shards, and set Tavros down on the floor. He didn’t want to put him on top of the load gaper or on the bathroom counter in case he fell. He was clearly too dizzy to walk or even move properly and he didn’t want him to fall and get hurt. 

Tavros lay back against the bathroom wall and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of Rufioh’s footsteps and movements as he walked around getting things ready. He was still all kinds of dizzy and weak and his horn and head were throbbing. He heard the bathwater start running and then he felt cool, clean hands grab hold of his tee shirt and lift it up over his head. A wet cloth wiped over his face and neck and then his chest and arms. It felt almost like some giant purrbeast was licking him. Tavros opened his eyes and blinked dizzily, realising something as he lay there and listened to the ablution trap filling. “I uhh, have to pee” he managed to mumble. Normally he’d be embarrassed but right now he was too sick to care. 

“Oh, okay. Hang on; just let me get these offa you first” Rufioh replied, calmly leaning down and unbuttoning Tav’s shorts. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of his brother’s shorts and underwear and slid them down, careful of his claws against the other’s skin. He tossed the soiled garments in the laundry hamper, then picked him up and sat him on the load gaper, holding him steady. 

“I can’t uh, that is…can you um, turn around?” Tavros stammered faintly from where he leaned against Rufioh’s shoulder.

Rufioh considered for a moment, then conceded. “Yeah, alright, but I’m not leaving the room” he replied, letting go of Tavros and waiting till the other steadied himself against the wall before walking a few steps away and turning his back to him. “You get dizzy or anything, you tell me straight away” he cautioned. 

Tavros nodded wearily. “Kay” He felt shy all of a sudden but the sounds of running water really had got to him. He closed his eyes and did his business, trying to ignore the tinkling sound of his stream hitting the water. A few moments later he leaned his head against the wall, feeling lightheaded. “F-finished” 

Rufioh was at his side almost instantly, picking him up and flushing the load gaper before he knelt down next to the ablution trap and dipped a hand in to test the water. He lowered Tavros into the bath and reached for the liquid body wash, squirting some onto a washcloth. 

Tavros leaned over the side of the bath, one arm dangling over the edge, resting his head on his arms. He sighed softly as he felt a warm, soapy washcloth massaging his skin. It felt nice and he was starting to relax a little bit. He almost felt like he could fall asleep right then and there. 

Rufioh turned the faucet off as the ablution trap filled up to about halfway. He continued washing Tavros, gently lifting an arm to clean it, or putting a hand under his chin to tilt his head back so he could get to his neck. It was as he was washing his stomach that he noticed it still looked rather distended. Mind you, his own stomach had done something similar when he was sick. It just never looked as big as this. He figured it would probably settle down eventually and decided not to worry about it. 

He grabbed the container that they usually kept in there for cleaning purposes and filled it with water, moving Tavros so he was sitting far enough from the side that water wouldn’t spill everywhere. “Okay babe, gonna tip some water over your head now. You got some in your hair, so we’re gonna wash it” he warned, putting his hand above the boy’s eyes to keep the water out of them, before gently tipping the warm clean water over his hair. He grabbed the hair cleansing substance and tipped some into the palm of his hand before massaging it into Tavros’ scalp, taking his time and being thorough. A clean mineral smell filled the steamy air. 

Tavros tried to be as obedient as possible as he got his hair washed. It actually felt really nice, the feeling of claws lightly scraping across his head and fingers rubbing small circles around his scalp. He gave another soft sigh, enjoying the therapeutic cleansing and also really too out of it to care what anyone did to him at the moment. 

“Tilt your head back, that’s it. Gotta wash it out” Rufioh kept talking to him, telling him what to expect or what was going to happen, just trying to keep him awake and responsive.

He closed his eyes tighter and tilted his head back as told, letting his big brother wash all the soap out. It felt good to get clean again and the warm water was soothing on sore muscles and achy insides. 

“That feel nice?” Rufioh asked, making small talk while he finished getting Tavros clean. 

Tavros nodded, and made a small sound in reply. “Mm” 

Rufioh smiled, “That’s good. We’re almost done. I’ll go get you a towel and then we can get you back in bed” 

Tavros was starting to feel sick again as his bath drew to an end. He guessed the feeling of nausea was just par for the course, so decided not to say anything. It gradually began to build however and his stomach started to feel tight as well. The slightly numb, prickly feeling was creeping up the back of his neck. He told himself it was just nerves. Tavros slumped heavily over the side of the bath, his head feeling light and his vision blurring. He was breathing through his mouth and drooling a little bit, not caring about how he looked. He felt like he wanted to cry as a sharp cramp spread through his stomach. He didn’t have the energy to though. So he merely settled for looking miserable, his face crumpled up in a dejected expression. He wished he could just go back to sleep already so he didn’t have to feel this way. He’d be back in bed soon, he told himself. Rufioh said so.

Rufioh had finished washing up Tavros soon enough. Satisfied with his work, he stepped away for a minute to go to the linen closet and get out a big fluffy towel. He came back into the ablution block, carrying the towel, this time with a little fairy bull perched on his shoulder. It was Rufioh’s lusus, the only one who had survived the insanity of the game and made it through to their new world. Rufioh often referred to him as his ‘happy thoughts’. 

“Hey Tavros, Bullwinkle wanted to come say hi…” Rufioh greeted with a smile then trailed off, taking one look at his brother’s sad face. Kid looked like he was going to cry. 

“Yo, what’s wrong babe? You look way sad. Is everything okay?” Rufioh knelt down and put a hand on Tavros’ shoulder, voice full of concern. “Come on hon, tell me what’s wrong” 

Tavros’ eyes widened as he realised too late what was happening. His reply to his brother wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say. He head jerked forwards and he fiercely gurgled up a stream of thick brown liquid, then another. He took a breath and tried to talk, only to heave again instead. Brown slimy puke splashed onto the bathroom floor, and dripped down the side of the tub, forming a large pool. He continued to puke, just as violently as he had out in the hallway. 

“Aw, fuck” Rufioh cursed.  
…

Tavros was wrapped up in a huge fluffy towel. He leaned his head against the warm, solid chest of the one carrying him, panting softly and shivering. His hair was all fluffed up from just being dried. 

Rufioh carried his brother back down the hallway to his respite block and set him down on the bed. The lusus fluttered off his shoulder and settled on the end of the bed, making a concerned chirp.

Rufioh riffled through the closet and chest of drawers, finding a pair of boxers and a white tee with the Taurus symbol on it. He sat on the edge of the bed and helped Tavros get dressed, sliding the boxers up his legs and pulling the tee over his horns and head with practise. (He got plenty of practise putting clothes on and off over his own horns and Tav’s were smaller, so it was fairly easy). 

Tavros mostly just lay there in a daze, shuddering and panting, peering out at the world through half lidded eyes.

Rufioh pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. It looked like his fever had gone up again. He looked pale and flushed and his normally black lips were several shades lighter. He was also covered in a light sheen of sweat, despite having just got out of the bath. “Damn. You’re shaking like a leaf! I think we’d better take your temp again, hey?”

Tavros merely whimpered, leaning into Rufioh’s much cooler hand that felt like heaven on his overheated skin. He whined when his brother pulled away, trying to reach for him. 

“Hold on babe, I know. I’ll be right back. Bullwinkle will keep you company” Rufioh gave Tavros’ hand a light reassuring squeeze before letting go of him to go search for the body temperature stick. He felt terrible leaving him alone even for just a few minutes but he had to help him get better and he couldn’t do that without medicine and tools. He found what he was searching for in the top drawer of the ablution block and also dug out some medicine from the cabinet above the water basin. A quick trip into the nutrition block also supplied him with a glass of water. He hurried back into Tavros’ bedroom and slowly sat down on the mattress, careful not to jostle him too much. 

“Okay open up for me, I need to put this in your mouth” Rufioh set the glass of water and bottles of meds on the bedside table, then uncapped the thermometer and held it to Tavros’ mouth. His mouth was already open, due to him panting with fever, so he just slipped it under his tongue and held it in place at the very tip with two fingers. He slid his phone from his back pocket and used the built in timer, counting down the minutes it would take to get a proper reading. 

Tavros tried to resist the urge to spit the temp stick out. Simply putting anything in his mouth made him feel nauseous as heck. He closed his eyes and let himself slump back into the pillows, which kept him in a propped up position, but he was still able to recline enough that it was comfortable. Or as comfortable as someone could be when they were burning up and had chills at the same time. He let out a small groan as his stomach twinged and cramped. It really hurt. A beeping sound interrupted his drifting and scattered thoughts and he blinked his eyes open to see Rufioh holding up the temperature stick to the light and analysing it.

“Ninety-six point five degrees. Yeah, that’s not good” He frowned at the reading, chewing at his lip in worry. If it went any higher, they were in trouble. He knew for a fact that the normal body temperature should sit somewhere roughly around 92 F. He had to get some fluids into this kid. Rufioh set the temperature stick aside and reached for the medication he’d brought with him, one to reduce pain and fever (Panatrol), the other to help soothe nausea. 

Bullwinkle flitted over and landed on Tavros’ lap, nudging his arm lightly with his white snout. 

Tavros felt something nudge his arm and looked down at the bull fairy with a weak smile. He reached out a shaky hand and petted it on the head. 

“Here” 

Tavros looked up and took a moment to focus on the hand holding something out in front of him. 

“It’s medicine” Rufioh explained gently, grabbing the younger troll’s hand and placing the pills into it. “Swallow these. Here, I got you some water” He held up the glass of water and waited for Tavros to put the pills in his mouth. 

Tavros frowned at the medicine, looking uncertain. He put them on his tongue and reached a trembling hand for the water. 

Rufioh held the water steady, tipping the glass up a little so Tavros could drink. “Good, yeah, drink it slowly. That’s the way” 

Tavros drank as much of the water as he could manage, taking just enough to wash the pills down, then sipping at it a few more times. He managed to down about half the glass before his stomach lurched slightly and he turned away, raising a hand to push it away from him. “No more” 

Rufioh looked worried, not wanting to lower the glass. “You sure? That wasn’t really enough. You’ve lost so many fluids in the last couple of hours and your fever’s no joke, doll” 

“N-no. I can’t. It’s just gonna come back up” Tavros moaned sickly, shaking his head. He hiccupped softly and swallowed, willing the medicine to stay down. “Nnh…it hurtsss” 

“What hurts? Your tummy?”

“Yeah. And my head. And my horn. Knocked it on the table” 

“Kay. Hold on. I got an idea that might help that for ya. And for the other two, the meds should kick in soon” He set down the glass of water again and scooted back up the bed until he was resting with his back and wings against the pillows. He grabbed Tavros and pulled him into his lap. He wrapped his arms around the boy’s thin waist from behind then lifted up his tee shirt and began rubbing his soft belly in small, soothing patterns. He could really feel the way Tavros was shuddering against him and pulled the blankets up over them both. 

Tavros lay back against Rufioh’s chest, relaxing into him. He could hear the other’s breath and heartbeat, both comforting sounds. 

“Yo I realised I didn’t tell you something before. I mean, yeah…you were asleep, but…it was my bad. Shoulda woken you up and told ya” Rufioh spoke softly. He felt like an idiot for neglecting to inform the young troll earlier. “I put a dross coffer right next to the bed, so if you gotta hurl again, it’s right there if you need it. You got that?” 

Tavros nodded, eyes closed, feeling the rumble of Rufioh’s words through his back as the other troll spoke. “Mmhm” 

“Kay” He kissed the top of his head “All good” 

Tavros lay in his dancestor’s embrace, shivering and sweating, starting to feel vaguely dizzy as he began to drift off into sleep. “Rufioh…?” he asked, sleepy and dazed. 

“Yeah dahl?” 

“Can you…can you uhh…” Tavros trailed off, embarrassed by what he wanted to ask. But he was scared, he was hurting, and he didn’t want to be alone. Sure, Bullwinkle was with him, curled up on his lap faithfully and licking or nuzzling at his arm. But it wasn’t the same as having someone there. 

Rufioh smiled, as though he knew what the other was trying to say. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. Tell you what. I’mma take the day off work tomorrow so I can stay here and keep an eye on you. Don’t feel right leaving you like this”. 

Tavros let out a shuddering sigh, “Thank you” 

“No problem. Now shhh, just go to sleep” He whispered, continuing to massage his belly. 

“Mm’’… Tavros tried to do as his brother said but he was in too much pain. “Hurts…”

Catching the pained expression on the younger’s face, Rufioh got an idea and began to hum softly as he continued his gentle massage. The song was a beautiful, lilting melody he had learned during his time in the forests. It was from an anime that featured elves and was both haunting and sweet. 

Tavros didn’t know when but at some point, he drifted off, with that melody singing in his ears.  
…

Tavros awoke again with a start, jolted straight out of sleep into a waking nightmare. There was something wet on his cheek. His pillow and side felt soaked for some reason, with something slimy, thick and warm. A familiar stench invaded his nostrils. Tavros retched and vomit poured out of his mouth, all down his front. Immediately this caused a spike of alarm. He was puking in his sleep! What the hell? 

One hand clutched his stomach as it seized and cramped painfully and he shuddered and retched again, hot thick fluids splattering onto the sheets as well as his legs and the mattress. Tavros coughed and spluttered, trying to take a breath. His head was pounding and the room around him was hazy and swaying. In his fevered state, he remembered something about the bin being next to his bed and his searching gaze soon picked it out. Tavros reached a shaking hand out to it with a pathetic whimper, waving his hand to try and drag it closer but he couldn’t move due to the pain stabbing his guts.

He curled in on himself with a small agonised grunt, his hand clutching his stomach so hard the claws dug into his swollen belly, drawing rivulets of blood. A sharp heave had him expelling more of the vile brown slime and the warm ooze sprayed and splattered like a busted water balloon, pooling on the blanket over his legs. Tavros gurgled, spat and coughed, finally managing to suck in a breath long enough to yell for help. He raised his voice as high as he could and screamed, not caring that his throat was raw from vomiting, or that it made him black out slightly. Panic was clearly heard in the words. 

“Rufioh! Rufioh, help!”

Tavros felt warm trickles streaming down his face and realised that he was crying. In between sobbing and vomiting, it really was hard to breathe or notice much of anything around him. He did however, hear the sound of voices. It sounded like they were coming from the entertainment block. Pretty soon, they were joined by hurried footsteps running in his direction. 

…

Rufioh had spent an hour or so cleaning up the hive, clearing up the messes Tavros had made and airing the place out. After a while, one of his friends had dropped by and they’d spent a few hours chatting, hanging out, watching some horror themed anime and playing gothic video games. 

The visitor was Kurloz, one of the other trolls he knew since they played Sgrub together and ended up in the dream bubbles. After ending his relationship with Horuss, Rufioh had become closer friends with the blue blood’s moirail, Meulin. The olive blood nekojin troll had taught him sign language. Thus he was able to communicate pretty well with the purple blood from their session, although he only really knew the basic stuff and was still learning most of it. But Rufioh had a knack for languages and picked them up quickly. He was after all, one of the only people able to understand Damara with her broken and garbled Japanese.

“Man that was some crazy BS just now. Bangarang! You damn near obliterated that boss” He was complimenting Kurloz on defeating the boss in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance for the SP5, when he heard the yell coming from down the hall. He jolted and dropped his controller with a start. That had been fucking loud!

“Fuck, that’s Tavros! Gotta go” Leaping to his feet, he practically ran down the hallway, fearful for what he was going to find. “Hold on, I’m coming”

He skidded to a stop right outside the kid’s room and shoved open the door. When he saw what the problem was, he rushed to the younger troll’s side, instantly pulling him into his arms, holding him up. Tavros looked like he was in a lot of pain and also seemed uncoordinated and woozy. Rufioh placed a hand on his forehead and held his head steady as he heaved and retched. “Aw, darlin’…it’s alright. Don’t cry…shhhh, it’s gonna be okay. I’m here. I’m right here”

Tavros didn’t know how long he puked for that time, all he knew was that when it was over, he felt extremely light headed and his insides hated him. He could hear his older brother’s voice, but he couldn’t make out the words too clearly. It almost sounded like they were coming from a distance. He stayed still, strands of puke and saliva dripping from his mouth and chin, while he shook and trembled, panting raggedly. 

“Tavros…” He thought he heard someone calling his name. 

“Tavros…hey baby, look at me…come on” 

Cool hands cupped his face and he blinked in confusion, trying to bring the face before him into focus. “Rufioh?”

“Yeah, damn, yeah it’s me” The older troll breathed a sigh of relief when Tavros recognised him. He was trying to stay calm but at this point, he was honestly scared. His little brother was so so sick. He couldn’t help but worry. He tried to act calm, and spoke calmly and clearly, carefully enunciating each word.  
“What happened? Why’d you get sick everywhere? You couldn’t get to the dross coffer?”

Tavros whimpered, looking confused as he tried to make sense of what the other was asking him. “Uhhhh…I don’t, don’t know…” 

“That’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, shhh” Rufioh kissed Tavros’ forehead, then pressed his own forehead against his, reading his temperature. “Damn, doll. You’re burnin’ up. Shit. Come on, can’t leave ya like this” he cooed gently. Rufioh sat up and peeled back the soiled blankets, cringing a little at the gross substance coming in contact with his fingers. ‘Yuck, it’s warm!’ He wiped them on a clean bit of sheet that somehow miraculously avoided the tidal wave of puke and then reached around behind the other troll, dragging his claws through the fabric of his shirt with a loud ripping noise. The cotton tore easily under his claws and he pulled the soiled tee off and tossed the shreds of it in the unused bin. Too bad if Tavros liked that shirt. It was probably irreparably stained anyway. 

Rufioh took a breath to steel his resolve and then moved his fingers to Tavros’ boxers, which were also covered in bodily fluids. He hooked his fingers under the waistband and tugged them down and off, also tossing them into the bin. Goodbye clothes. He debated tossing out the sheets and comforter too, but then decided against it. They were a mess but maybe he could get the stains out with some laundry soaker. He noticed a dark shape out the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Kurloz hanging around in the doorway. The other troll signed something to him. 

Is he okay? 

Rufioh nodded. “Yeah, think so. He’s just really sick. Got that virus I had, only it’s kinda kicking his ass. Wasn’t nearly this bad when I got it” he frowned then looked thoughtful. “Yo can I ask you a favour? Can you get me a washcloth outta the cloth shelving unit in the hall and wet it for me? Need something to clean him up a bit but I don’t wanna leave him here unattended”.

Kurloz signed back. Sure. Be right back. He disappeared silently down the hallway, his footsteps barely audible. True to his word, he returned half a minute later with a soaked hand towel and held it out to Rufioh with his usual eerily placid smile. 

“Hey, thanks. That’s a big help, yo” Rufioh wasted no time in wiping Tavros off, paying special attention to whichever areas had gotten splattered, his chest, arms, thighs, hands and face. He tossed the used cloth in the dross coffer along with the remains of Tav’s clothing. 

Once he was certain the feverish troll was reasonably clean, he grabbed the folded blanket sitting on the end of the bed and wrapped Tavros in it. “Come on; let’s get you somewhere more comfortable” 

Rufioh picked Tavros up, carrying him with one arm under his bottom and his other arm wrapped around his shoulders, letting him lean his head on his shoulder. Tavros was pretty light, especially having had nothing to eat since last night. He carried him out to the entertainment block, Kurloz following behind.

Without being asked, the tall, dark troll in the skeleton outfit began arranging the largest and softest couch cushions so Tavros could lean back against them. Rufioh waited patiently, rubbing Tavros’ back in a calming manner and gently swaying side to side, like he was holding a tiny wiggler. Tavros may not have been that little but he needed all the comfort he could get right now. 

Tavros closed his eyes and whimpered against Rufioh’s shoulder. His stomach was killing him and he felt like he hadn’t slept those last four hours. He hiccupped softly and his mouth flooded with odd tasting saliva. Tavros felt a bit of drool escape before his sluggish brain could make sense of what was happening. His insides squeezed and he suddenly belched, emitting a large gush of dark brown vomit. 

Rufioh heard a gag and then a gurgling splatter before he felt warm slush spilll down his back, splash his wings and start to seep through his clothes. “Crap!…oh, gross…he just puked all down my back, didn’t he?” he asked Kurloz, with a cringe. 

The other troll’s lips stretched into a wide grin and he seemed to be shaking with silent laughter as he signed something. Hot shower

“It is NOT funny!” Rufioh protested but he chuckled a little as he talked. “Aw man, this is so nasty. Here, can you take him for me for a sec? I gotta clean this shit off”

Kurloz nodded, and held out his arms, stepping closer towards the two Nitram boys.

Rufioh walked the couple of steps over to him and handed his little brother over to his friend. He wasn’t too worried. He could trust Kurloz. The other troll may still have been creepy and offsetting at times but he’d changed ever since they finished the game and come to live in the new world. Tavros would be okay with him for a few minutes while Rufioh cleaned himself up. 

Kurloz set Tavros down on the couch, propped up against the cushions. Something white fluttered over his head, before landing with a soft moo on Tavros’ legs. Bullwinkle sniffed at Tavros and curled up on his legs, nudging him in a worried manner. 

Tavros reached over to pat the little fairy bull, sleepily stroking his soft head and back. He also watched Kurloz sit down on the other end of the couch and just stare at him, occasionally giving a slow blink. It kind of creeped him out, but he was Rufioh’s friend and if he trusted him, then Tavros was sure it was fine.

He leaned his head back against the cushions with an exhausted sigh, closing his eyes, trying to ignore the pounding on the side of his head where his horn had been struck against the table last night. Troll horns were extremely sensitive. No doubt it was bruised. 

He could hear the shower running from the bathroom at the other end of the hall and sometime later, heard padding footsteps approaching and smelled the scent of the body wash that Rufioh used. 

“Yo thanks for watching him for me. Anything happen while I was gone? No? Good” 

A cool hand pressed against his sweaty forehead and he sighed softly but otherwise didn’t move. Tavros felt hands moving him forward a little and something soft and puffy placed behind his back. He was leaned back against the cool softness of the pillow. The draft from the whirling device overhead flowed across his sweat glistened skin. With his eyes closed, he suddenly pictured fairies flying all around the room, their wings fanning him with the breeze stirred up by their wingbeats. Somehow, his fevered mind told him that this was the reality and Tavros smiled happily. They were real. Real fairies, right here in his hive. They must have come to see him because he was ill and they wanted to make him feel better. “Nice fairies” Tavros mumbled, waving a hand at them. He vaguely registered a note of alarm in the voice that exclaimed at his comment. 

“Fuck. He’s delirious. That’s it. I’m calling the doctor”

Tavros listened to the familiar voice, warm and light, slightly roguish but the words sort of slipped into one ear and became jumbled before they fell out the other. He found it hard to concentrate or pay attention to one thought over another. He felt himself being moved over a bit and then a comforting weight settled on the couch beside him, wrapping an arm around him and drawing him close, so he was leaning back against Rufioh’s chest. The pleasant scent of his body wash filtered into Tavros’ nose.

Rufioh dialed the number for the emergency clinic that was open on weekends. He chewed his lip anxiously as he combed a hand through Tavros’ hair, his foot jiggling lightly as he waited for someone to pick up. “Come on, pick up, pick up…” 

“Oh, there. Right. Hi, um, my name is Rufioh Nitram, I’m calling for my lil’ brother, Tavros. Yeah. No he doesn’t usually go to your clinic but it’s kind of an emergency, got me freaking out yo” He was quiet while the receptionist on the other end of the line said something, asking him questions. “Yeah he picked up that virus that’s been going around, the one affecting the warmbloods. Uh huh, been doing lots of that. No, not that, just the vomiting. Um,…last I checked, his temperature was ninety six point five or something. Dehydrated, yeah. Naw, haven’t been able to get any fluids into him since…ha, lemme think for a sec. About half a glass of water, around five thirty in the morning.”

“No…nothing since then. Important, yeah I know. Uh, actually yes, I do have some a those. In the ice vault. Was using em when I was sick the week before. …try making him some soup? Kay, guess that’s worth a shot” Rufioh kept chatting to the receptionist on the other end, nodding and making comments occasionally before hanging up. When he looked around he saw Kurloz waiting expectantly. 

What did they say? The purple eyed troll signed. 

Rufioh continued working his fingers through Tavros’ sweaty hair, looking worried. “Basically they said, if he hasn’t stopped vomiting by tomorrow afternoon, if his fever gets any higher or if I can’t get any fluids into him, it’s straight to the hospital” he relayed. “Which is kinda looking like a good option right now. But first I’m gonna try and see if I can get anything into him. Maybe some soup, water or whatever he’ll drink”

Want me to stay?

Rufioh smiled, but shook his head. “Nah, s’okay. I know you got work this afternoon. Sorry to cut things short but I’m going to have my hands full for the rest of today, so…yeah. I think the other stuff will have to wait” 

Kurloz nodded, his expression understanding as he signed something in reply. Okay. I’ll get going then. Wanted to drop in on my invertebrother for a while anyway. See you around. I’ll text you. Kurloz raised his phone in the air and pointed at it, just to get the meaning across. He signed one more thing as he walked out of the room, going to see himself out. See you. Hope the young lowblood feels better soon.

“Kay. See ya bro. Oh, thanks. Yeah, me too” he raised a hand and waved at the other troll as Kurloz left the hive then got into his vehicle and drove off. 

Rufioh sighed, then looked down at his charge, who was leaning into him, one hand fisting his shirt. “Rufiohhhh”

“Yeah dahl?” 

“I’m bored. I wanna play Fiduspawn but the fairies ran off with my stuff”

Rufioh smiled. “Aw, did they? Well, how’s about we put on a movie for you to watch instead. And I’ll go ask the fairies to give your stuff back. How’s that sound?”

Tavros yawned and shivered, “Good”

“Kay, whaddya wanna watch?”

“Pupa” 

“Thought you’d say that” Rufioh was onto things. He kissed Tavros’ forehead and gently eased himself out from under the younger troll and then off the couch, propping Tavros up on the pillows that he’d brought from his own respite block a couple of minutes ago. He didn’t want to leave him. Not even for a second. But he had to try and get some liquids down him or it was a one way ticket straight to the hospital. “You watch over him for me, Bullwinkle. Come tell me straight away if anything happens”.

The little cow fairy made a soft moo sound, and nuzzled Tavros’ legs through the blanket. Rufioh smiled, knowing his lusus would come get him if anything went wrong. 

Rufioh had a quick look around and soon located the DVD in Tav’s room. He set up the TV and popped the disc into the player, glancing over at Tavros.

He was watching the screen through half lidded eyes, panting softly while hugging a cushion like a stuffed toy. He seemed to have his attention diverted, which put the older Taurus at ease somewhat. At least while he was distracted he should be able to make the soup. But first he wanted to try something else. He went to the freezer and dug out one of the electrolyte ice blocks he’d kept in there since he’d been sick the previous week. They were a fast, easy way to get more liquids back in when nothing else would stay down. He sliced the top off it and wrapped it in a dish towel, then brought it over to Tavros. He gently nudged him and held the frozen ice stick out to him. “Here babe. I want you to try this. It’s nice and cold and it should help your fever. Just suck on it, alright? Take it slow” 

Tavros looked up at the nudge on his arm and stared at the purple ice stick for a moment, wondering what to do with it. He listened as he was told to suck on it and as it was placed in his hand he wrapped his fingers around it. Tavros looked at it reluctantly and then hesitantly put it in his mouth and sucked. It tasted sweet and the cold felt really nice on his throat. He kept it in his mouth and turned his attention back to the movie. 

“That’s my boy” Rufioh petted his head with a smile. The older Taurus went into the meal block and located a couple of nutrition cylinders in the cupboards. Sorting through them, he found one labelled the human equivalent of cluckbeast and noodles. The prep instructions were fairly basic; put soup into a pot on the stove and heat ten to fifteen minutes. He heated it up, poured it into a bowl and came out with it about fifteen minutes later, holding the hot nutrition container in another dish towel. Rufioh perched himself on the edge of the couch next to Tavros and carefully placed the bowl in his lap. 

“Kay, got something else I want you to try kiddo. Can you eat some of this for me?” He picked up the spoonful of soup and held it out to him. 

Tavros looked at the soup and sniffed, wrinkling his nose at the smell. His stomach churned uncomfortably. He looked away from the bowl and up at Rufioh, then stuck his tongue out. “Is my tongue glowing?” 

Rufioh raised his eyebrows, taken aback by the random question. “Uh…no? Why?” 

Tavros giggled softly. “Cause I’m eating a glow stick, that is frozen. So that means, uh, my tongue should be glowing!” 

Rufioh looked at the remainder of the ice block. He’d managed to eat three quarters of it, which was good. A little more disturbing was the fact that he thought he was eating a glow stick. If it wasn’t so sad Rufioh would have laughed. 

“Ah…yeah, that’s…you know what, yeah it is. It’s so bright, it’s lighting up the whole room” Rufioh told him, ruffling his hair. Kay so, Tav was still delirious but at least he had managed to coax some fluids into him. He brought the spoonful of soup a little closer to Tavros and tried again. “Here, take a sip of this. Just one spoonful” 

“Nooo” Tavros shook his head at the spoon and turned away from it. Just the smell of it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Rufioh sighed and took a calming breath. Okay, there had to be some way to do this. He wasn’t about to fight with the sick teen but he had to get him to eat somehow. Thinking on his feet, he switched tactics. “I know. How about I try it first? Here, see” Rufioh waited until Tavros was watching and then put the spoon in his mouth, “Mmm, delicious. Whoa that’s really good. Here, you try some. Tell me what you think” He filled the spoon again and brought it to Tavros’ mouth. 

Tavros hated the smell of the stuff but Rufioh ate it and he said it was good. He frowned at the spoonful of soup, glanced back at his dancestor, then opened his mouth. If Rufioh wasn’t puking then he wouldn’t either, right? It had to be safe. 

Yes. Victory! Rufioh popped the spoon in Tavros’ mouth, watching the soup disappear. He then placed the bowl in Tavros’ lap and handed him the spoon. “See how much more of that you can eat. If you do that, I’ll…” Rufioh scrambled for something, anything to bribe him with “I’ll let you pick another movie out, yeah?” He felt kind of like he was talking to a wiggler but whatever worked, he’d try it. 

Tavros stared at him for a moment then gave a little nod. Movies. Movies sounded good. And he couldn’t remember how to make them work in the TV right now, anyway, so if Rufioh was going to put one on for him, that sounded good to Tavros. He picked up the spoon in a shaky hand and ate another mouthful of the soup.  
…

Tavros was about halfway through the soup when he paused, letting go of the spoon so it dropped back into the bowl with a soft clink.

Rufioh looked away from the TV screen, hearing the clink. “What’s up little bro?” 

Tavros gave a low groan, “Don’t feel good”

“Uh oh…” Rufioh took one look at the expression on Tav’s face and reacted instantly, kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. He sprang up from the couch and dashed for Tavros’ respite block. Rufioh ran back into the living room with the dross coffer that had sat beside Tavros’ bed. Snatching the soup bowl, he put it on the floor and quickly plunked the bin in Tavros’ lap. He moved him so his head was over it and sat down, starting to rub his back. “Take deep breaths baby. Just breathe, that’s it” 

Tavros breathed, shuddering. He felt something hot rising up his throat and swallowed once, then again. Then he suddenly gagged and burped and before he could say or do anything else, the soup he had eaten came gushing back up with a wet belching splatter. He heaved again, spewing into the bin that had his dirty clothes in the bottom. He paused, gasping and coughing before another retch had him puking his meagre meal up in a wave of yellow and brown. 

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay. This is my fault. Soup was a bad idea” Rufioh murmured, trying his best to comfort Tavros as he puked for what had to be the fifth time in a matter of hours. “I’m sorry, hon. I’m really sorry. Too much too soon…” He kept rubbing his back, his other hand holding Tav’s head up over the bin.

“Shit…what’re we gonna do with you?” Rufioh sighed, asking the rhetorical question towards the ceiling. He was concerned and worried and now he also felt really bad for forcing Tavros to drink the soup. Damn, this wasn’t working. Maybe another ice block. He’d seemed to be keeping that down okay. 

Rufioh waited until Tavros had stopped heaving. It didn’t take as long as it did when he was throwing up the virus slime. He waited a minute or so just to be sure, then moved the bin away and put it down beside the couch. He ran to grab a wet washcloth and returned, gently wiping the spit and vomit off Tavros’ face and arm before chucking the cloth in the bin with the other spewed on items. He prepared another ice block for him, wrapped it in a dish towel and came back and sat on the couch, pulling Tavros into his embrace. 

Tavros blearily looked at the frozen glow stick in his dancestor’s hand and reached out for it, taking it in a feeble grasp. He looked at it for a minute then snapped it in half, looking confused when it didn’t start glowing. “Not working”

Rufioh suppressed a chuckle at that. “Oh it will work, hon. This is, uh….a special glow stick. It’ll make your tongue glow, but first you have to eat all of it. Trust me, it’s magic” 

Tavros blinked at it, taking a minute to process what was being said, before he finally acquiesced. “Oh, okay” He stuck it in his mouth and immediately found relief in the cold, sweet treat. He then leaned back against Rufioh and closed his eyes, feeling dizzy, absolutely exhausted and sore. 

“That’s it honey, just go to sleep yo” Rufioh raked gentle fingers through Tavros’ hair, holding him steady against his body. The teen still felt way too hot and shook intermittently with chills. The older troll was glad to see him trying to suck on the ice block, at least making an effort. He purred softly, ignoring the movie that was still playing, sending rumbling vibrations through his chest and into Tavros. It was a sound with natural healing and calming capabilities, a Trollian lullaby. It was the last thing he could think of that might help, pride and dignity be damned. 

…

He glanced down at the younger troll in his lap. Tavros’ breathing had evened out and was deeper than before. He was asleep, the melting ice stick still clutched in his hand. 

Rufioh brushed sweaty hair back from the younger one’s face and noted that he was still burning up and was sticky with perspiration, his face flushed a pretty orange-brown. The fever hadn’t let up then. The older Taurus was pleased to see that half of the ice stick was gone in any case. Rufioh gently removed it and placed it on the floor next to the soup bowl. He lay back and closed his eyes, deciding that while Tavros was asleep he may as well try getting a nap in. He had a feeling they were going to be up all night with this. 

He awoke sometime later to his phone vibrating in his jeans pocket. Rufioh rubbed his eyes and pulled it out, looking at the time. About two hours had passed. He checked text messages and replied to a few. He then gently extracted himself from under Tavros, making sure the other troll was comfortable on the couch with his pillows and snuggle plane. Tavros stirred and made a soft whimper as he was moved but thankfully didn’t wake. Rufioh breathed a sigh of relief. He got up and made a quick trip to the ablution block, then came back and cleaned up the bowl and ice block. He also cleaned out the dross coffer, remembering to place it back near the reclining platform just in case. 

Not wanting to leave Tavros alone, he went into his respite block to grab his husktop and returned to sit on the couch beside him. He played a few games, surfed the internet and chatted to other trolls for a while. About an hour and a half passed and everything was pretty quiet and peaceful, until he caught a stir of movement from Tavros’ direction. 

“Whoa, no! No no no no no no no no!” 

Rufioh raised an eyebrow at the younger one’s sudden outburst. Tavros was tossing and turning in his sleep, waving his arms about and wiping at himself as though there was something crawling all over him. 

“Holy ffffff. Holy ffffuck! Spiders, no, spiders!” he gibbered. “Fffuck! Ssshit, no,no no no no no, no!” 

Oh, okay, he was sleep talking while having fever dreams. Rufioh set his husktop aside on the other end of the couch and grabbed Tavros’ flailing arms. “Shh, shoooshhh. It’s okay. There’s no more spiders. They’re all gone now” he told Tavros, keeping his tone reassuring. “I killed all of them. They’re all gone. Splat. Just like that” 

“Mm…” Tavros’ stilled for a while and seemed to relax. A few seconds later, bright chocolate eyes opened and he blinked blearily at Rufioh from under his long lashes. His face was fully flushed and he looked sweatier than before. “What? Why? Where’d it go?” he slurred, confusion evident in his tone and expression. 

“Huh? Where’d what go dahl?” Rufioh asked patiently, wondering where this was leading. 

Tavros lifted a hand and gestured around the room. “This is alllll my stuff. Everything in here is my stuff!” he proclaimed, loudly. 

Rufioh looked around the room but he couldn’t see anything that Tavros would be referring to. “Uh…okay, yeah, that’s….if you want” Rufioh replied, deciding that trying to humour him would be best. He looked like he was awake, but it was kind of obvious he wasn’t all there. Rufioh let go of his arms and gently cupped Tavros’ chin, tilting his head to look up at him. “Tavros, baby, look at me. Can you look at me for a second?” 

Tavros blinked at Rufioh, his eyes not really focusing. The cool hands on his face felt really good. He was quiet for a moment and then “Moooooooooo” 

Rufioh snorted with laughter at that. He tried to keep it together but that was just too funny. “Tavros. Did you just…moo at me?” Aw, poor darling. He didn’t even know what he was saying or doing. “It’s okay, it’s fine. You wanna moo, you go right ahead” he soothed. Rufioh sighed and pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back gently. He started to purr again, hoping that would calm the boy down. 

The purring seemed to work like a charm. Tavros’ eyes fluttered closed and he settled back to sleep rather quickly. Rufioh laid him back against the pillows, pulling the blanket up around his waist. “That’s it, go back to sleep” he whispered. Rufioh got up off the couch and retrieved another damp cloth. He knelt down and gently wiped the sweat from Tav’s skin and also turned the breeze blender up a notch, trying to cool him down some more. 

Around twenty minutes later, Tavros stirred again. He moaned softly, opening his eyes. It took him a minute to bring everything into focus. When his mind caught up with his lookstubs, he recognised his dancestor sitting on the couch, his fingers tapping over the keys of his husktop, making low clicking noises.  
“Rufioh?” 

Rufioh looked up from what he was typing, quickly typed something else and set his husktop aside. “Hey, you’re awake. How are ya feeling?”

Tavros shivered and breathed out a shaky sigh. “Hot. Sick” he mumbled. 

“Aw, babe, that’s no good. How about we take your mind off it. Want to watch another movie?” 

Tavros nodded. That sounded really good. “Labyrinth” He suggested, having not seen it for a while. 

“Kay. Hold on, I’m just gonna get you another ice stick” he replied, patting Tavros’ head and going into the meal block. He returned with another electrolyte ice block wrapped in a dish towel and handed it to Tavros, letting go once he was sure the other had a proper grip. “Just suck on that, nice and slow. We still gotta get more fluids into you” Rufioh encouraged. He then looked around through the cupboards under the TV and located the troll version of the infamous movie, a fantastical adventure set in a world with an ever shifting magical maze, all manner of fantasy creatures and the trickster king, Jareth.

Tavros snapped the ice block in half like before, then stuck it in his mouth and settled down, watching the movie as it started to play. His stomach felt full and tight after his nap but it wasn’t cramping or twisting up in knots, just churning occasionally, or gurgling softly. Feeling hot and sticky, he pushed the blanket down off him so it only covered his legs and sucked harder on the fruit flavoured glow stick he was holding. 

Rufioh continued to keep an eye on Tavros while doing stuff on his husktop, glancing at him periodically as the movie played. The film in particular was about one and a half hours long and had half an hour to go, when Rufioh noticed he could hear some odd noises. Small gurgles and growls had started up a while ago when the movie was first starting, but now they were getting louder and sounding more ominous, to the point where it was hard to ignore them. 

Rufioh glanced down at Tavros’ belly. It looked bloated and full, like the last few times he’d gotten sick. That had to be uncomfortable. “I really don’t like the sound of that. Tavros, do you need to be sick again?” he asked gently, setting his husktop aside so he could pay attention to his sick patient. 

The younger Taurus shook his head. He was hugging a small cushion and resting his chin on it. “No” 

Sitting on his feet, Bullwinkle let out a worried chirp. 

Rufioh looked sceptical. “Tavros” He tried again. “Do you need the dross coffer? Does your tummy feel full? You don’t sound very well dahl” He leaned forward and reached a hand out to slide it up under Tavros’ tee shirt. He pressed it gently to Tavros’ belly, feeling around. The skin was stretched and he could feel things shifting and bubbling under his palm. Yup, the virus had multiplied again and it was going to want out pretty soon. 

“NO. I’m starting, to feel better. I’m almost better. I don’t need to anymore” The other boy stubbornly leaned in to hide his face in the cushion he was hugging, looking half out at the movie with a sulky expression.

Rufioh let his behaviour slide. He usually never acted so childish but he was burning up with a fever and wasn’t himself. 

“Just because you don’t want to doesn’t mean it’s not gonna happen” He explained gently yet firmly, removing his hand from Tavros’ stomach. There was another sick gurgle and it sounded pretty bad. “I think it’s gonna happen” Rufioh assessed, alarm bells going off in his head. He knew Tavros had a fear of puking and tended to fight it for as long as possible (when he could), but this was looking fast like it was going to be another mess. He leaned over and picked up the empty bin, holding it out to him. 

“Nooooo” Tavros protested, pushing the dross coffer away, sounding frightened and whiny. His distended tummy made a very convincing argument to the opposite.

Rufioh sighed, trying to keep his patience. He felt like he was dealing with a spoiled wiggler but he had to stay calm. “Look I know you don’t want to hon, but I think you are going to whether you like it or not. Stop saying no and grab the container. Do it now” he tried to sound more firm, keeping his tone no nonsense. 

Tavros unexpectedly burst into tears. “NO! I don’t want toooooooooo” He gasped and hiccupped, big brown tears rolling down his cheeks. He dropped the cushion and scrubbed at his face, trying to wipe the tears away as they poured out. He was genuinely distressed at the idea of having to go through it again and his fevered state just made everything worse. 

Rufioh’s expression softened. He dropped the bin back on the floor, leaned over and wrapped his arms around Tavros, hugging him close and rubbing his back “Aww, baby, it’s okay…don’t cry” He rocked him back and forth soothingly, kissing the top of his head. Tavros sniffled and cried brown tears into his shirt. He kept rocking and shushing him, not knowing what else to do. “I know it’s not nice. It sucks, I know” 

Tavros started to feel sleepy and calm down a little in between sniffles and sobs. The gentle rocking and the comforting embrace of his older brother were really helping his frayed emotions. His words were calm and reassuring, taking the edge off his fear. 

Although, he was starting to feel dizzy and the rocking wasn’t really helping that. The room swirled vaguely around him and his stomach started cramping, spasms pulsing through it every couple of seconds. Tavros kept crying, though more softly than before. He felt so terrible it was all he wanted to do.

He started to feel dizzier as he kept being gently swayed back and forth and he ran out of energy to keep crying, quieting down to whimpering and hiccupping instead as his stomach roiled and ached. 

Rufioh smiled, glad to see the young troll starting to calm down. Maybe he could get him to see reason once he was in a calmer state of mind. “There you go. That’s it…just relax. It’s gonna be okay” he told him, rubbing his back. 

Tavros was drooling a little, his mouth flooding with weird tasting saliva. If he were fully aware, he’d probably panic about it, but as it was, he barely even knew what was happening. Without warning his stomach cramped again, then again. Then it lurched, squeezing his insides fiercely. With a retch and a heave, thick warm slush forced its way out of him, showering all over the front and lap of his dancestor. “Hurk-Bluuuuuuuuuurgh!” 

“Ahh!” Rufioh jolted, feeling the warm wave of spew drench his front and lap. “Damn it Tavros! I knew you needed to puke. Damn…okay baby, just…just try to stay still. It’s okay. Yuck…” Rufioh just did his best to hold him steady and keep him calm, the bin too far away to reach now. He tried to keep him still while he coughed and vomited, cringing at the warm liquid that was splattering his clothing. The bull horned dancestor gave a long suffering sigh. He had a feeling they were in for a very long night…


End file.
